Once in front of me, Peter grinned and, with much less of a struggle than Charles, said, “I like when you make me laugh, and I like when you smile.”
Owen patted him on the back. “Two compliments at once, well done.” He paused. “Although, you might add more detail to your description of her smile.”
Not again.
He sat close to me, until he was close enough that I could smell the fresh scent of his jacket and all the masculine smellsI remembered of my father—the woods, fresh air, and new parchment.
“But first, you might take her hand,” Owen said with a soft smile. He uncurled my right hand from my left and held it between both of his. “The simple touch of a hand will help convey the earnestness of your compliment.” His gaze flickered back to Peter before settling on my face again. “But the true task lies with your words. For your words must convey the earnestness of your heart.”
My hand was starting to sweat in his. My heart thudded fast, racing with enough vigor to nearly escape my chest.
“As for Annette’s smile, I might add that it is one of the rarest and most beautiful smiles I have ever seen,” Owen said in a quiet voice. “It is the kind of smile that can lift any spirit and erase any doubt. One glance at a smile like that and any reason had for sorrow is forgotten. It can charm, it can tease, it can tempt. It can compete for a man’s heart unknowingly. And it will always win.”
My blush was too hot for him not to have noticed it by now. If he was going to continue speaking, he would have to do it without looking at my face. I quickly dropped my gaze to my lap and held perfectly still. Why wouldn’t he stop? And good heavens, what were Peter and Charles thinking of all this? Surely they didn’t understand as I did that Owen wasn’t serious.
Silence stretched for longer than I expected. When Owen spoke again, his voice sent a ripple through the air so tangible I thought I could reach out and touch it. “A humble lady,” he began, “may still doubt the truth of your words. She may require further assurance of your earnestness. In such a case . . .”
I glanced up just as he shifted my hand in his. He lifted it slowly and pressed his lips against the back of it. My breath refused to come. Chills raced up my arm. His lips lingered therefor a second longer and then he raised his head, looking into my eyes again. “She may need a kiss to finally convince her.”
I wanted to laugh, to prove that I knew he was only teasing, but my throat was tight.
Owen’s eyes were still serious, but slowly a smile built on his lips. I grasped onto it as proof that he was only trying to get a reaction out of me, something to amuse himself with. He had officially taken this demonstration too far. All I could do was sit in the proceeding quiet, willing my heartbeat to slow and my cheeks to cool.
To my relief, Peter grimaced. “I will never do that!”
I exhaled sharply in what sounded like a failed attempt at a laugh. My hands were shaking and my heart refused to calm itself. I couldn’t let Owen have such an effect on me. He wanted a reaction, so the opposite I needed to give him.
I tugged my hand away from his and glanced at Peter. “Perhaps all you ought to do is tell Aunt Ruth what a lovely smile she has, and then she might become a little more amiable.”
He jerked back in disgust. “But her smile isn’tlovely!”
“Charles? Perhaps you should tell her, then.”
His eyes widened and he shook his head. “Never.”
I laughed, but was surprised that I didn’t hear a laugh from Owen. With a lighter mood in the air, I sneaked a glance at him. His expression was still serious. Had I injured his pride by pulling my hand away so quickly? I should have thanked him for his kind words, but I had panicked. Had he taken my silence as a rejection?
I stopped myself. He would only have felt rejected if hemeantwhat he said. I couldn’t allow myself to believe that. Still, a hint of guilt swirled around my stomach.
Owen drew a deep breath. When he laughed, it seemed like a delayed reaction. “Annette is right. Flatter your aunt, and she will love you so much that she will give you a big, wet kiss onyour forehead every night.” I was relieved to see that the teasing gleam in his eye was back.
A loud laugh bubbled from me as I watched Peter and Charles’s reaction. They reared back in disgust and shook their heads.
Owen sighed. “Very well. Just a small kiss.”
Charles stepped away from Owen, giggling and shaking his head vigorously. “I don’t want a small kiss from Aunt Ruth either.”
When their laughter subsided, Owen addressed the boys again. “Well, then, it would seem part two of the lesson is now complete. Do you have any questions?”
They shook their heads.
“Good. Now, if there is one thing that I hope you remember from my lessons, it is this: You are never to mistreat a lady. Ever.”
My brothers stared at him in awe, surely committing every single word to memory.
“Not with insults, nor with physical harm of any kind. Do you understand?” Owen’s voice was soft, but had a firmness that couldn’t be argued with.
Peter and Charles each gave a dignified nod that seemed to satisfy him.
